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Thank you for your interest in Brandeis School of Law. The admissions process is designed for applicants to demonstrate their potential for the successful study of law. Brandeis School of Law is a welcoming community, which actively recruits qualified individuals from diverse backgrounds.

Application Requirements

Getting Started

Application Period: October 1 through April 15

For priority scholarship consideration, applications must be complete (properly submitted and all required materials received) by March 1.

Candidates must have successfully completed a bachelor’s degree at an accredited college or university prior to enrollment. The accredited institution must be listed on the U.S. Department of Education’s database.

Take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) no later than the February preceding the fall semester. For example, students wanting to enroll in the Fall semester of 2017 should take their LSAT no later than February 2017. The admissions committee will review your highest score. LSAT scores are valid for five (5) years. You may submit your application prior to the release of your LSAT score; however, your application will not be considered complete until the score is received.

*In addition to a bar examination, there are character, fitness, and other qualifications for admission to the bar in every U.S. jurisdiction. Applicants are encouraged to determine the requirements for any jurisdiction in which they intend to seek admission by contacting the jurisdiction. Addresses for all relevant agencies are available through the National Conference of Bar Examiners.

Materials to Submit through the CAS

Application Fee: $0.

Signed and dated application for admission through the CAS. Applications may be signed electronically or a signature submitted with the certification letter via postal mail.

Personal Statement (1-3 pages). The personal statement is an open-ended essay written on any topic you choose. Ideally, the personal statement will provide insight about your personality and what you will bring to the law school.

Two (2) Letters of Recommendation (we will accept up to four (4) letters of recommendation). One letter must be from a faculty member. The second letter can either be from a faculty member or from an individual who has knowledge of your personal qualifications and ability to succeed in a competitive professional program. No recommendations will be considered after an admission decision has been made on an application.

Official Transcripts.Transcripts from all prior undergraduate and graduate institutions that you have attended must be submitted directly to CAS as part of the online application process.

Current Resume.

Diversity Statement (Optional). We give serious consideration to the ways you may contribute to a diverse educational environment. Your diversity statement could explain what makes you different and what your individuality will contribute to class. Such diversity topics may include: leadership qualities, community service, socioeconomic status, work history, or diversity of thought.

How to Apply

You may complete and submit your law school application through LSAC by clicking this button.

Application Deadline

Admission Decisions

Admission decisions are made on a rolling basis. The Admission Committee begins its evaluation of files in January, with the majority of decisions made in the period from mid-January to early April. Every applicant will receive notification as to the status of the application (accept, deny, hold) shortly after the initial review by the Admission Committee.

Those applicants who are placed on hold by the Committee will be reconsidered in the late spring or early summer after more information is available on the entire group of applicants.

Upon Acceptance

Admitted students will be required to reserve his or her place in the entering class with two tuition seat deposits, which is applied toward tuition for the first semester. The deadlines will be stated on the letter of admission. Failure to meet the deadlines will result in admission revocation. Unless otherwise indicated on your offer of admission letter, the first seat deposit deadline is April 15 and second seat deposit deadline is June 1 for the fall term. Both deposits are non-refundable. Your deposits must be paid electronically. You can pay your deposit by visiting our Admitted Student Site. Access to the Admitted Student Site through your offer of admission letter and email. Please have your Student ID Number on-hand, as you will need it to make the payment. We accept American Express, Discover, MasterCard, and VISA.

Admitted students are also required to submit one official degree showing transcript. Incoming first-year students have until August 1, 2016 to submit this transcript directly to the Admissions Office. More information on the requirements will be given at the time of admission.

The 3+3 Accelerated Law Program at the University of Louisville allows eligible undergraduate students to apply to the Brandeis School of Law in their junior year.

Students admitted under the program fulfill their senior year of undergraduate credits through the successful completion of their first year law school courses, allowing them to graduate with both a baccalaureate at the end of their first year of law school and Juris Doctor degree two years later, saving a year of tuition and related costs.

Brandeis graduates are using their degrees in a variety of ways, from traditional legal practice to careers in higher education, government or public service.

A: Students who satisfy the eligibility requirements may apply for admission to the Brandeis School of Law under the 3+3 program prior to completing their junior year at the University of Louisville. Students must apply between October 1 and April 15 of their junior year. In addition, all applicants must satisfy the following:

Submit scores from a valid and reliable admission test in order to assist the law school’s Admissions Committee in assessing the applicant’s ability to satisfactorily complete the school’s program of legal education

A: 3+3 students will pay the law school tuition rate for all three years they are enrolled in law school. For 3+3 students earning their bachelor’s degree from the University of Louisville, undergraduate scholarships may be used for the first year of law school.

A: The student will be considered a law student during the fourth year/1L year.

If the student fails to complete or fails the law school course it will be the decision of individual departments whether to accept any of the law school credits toward the undergraduate degree. If the student successfully completes the 1L year, the undergraduate degree is awarded at the conclusion of the 1L year.

For Full-Time and Part-Time J.D. enrollment, applicants must provide a completed application through the Credential Assembly Service (CAS) of the Law School Admission Council (LSAC). An application will be considered complete if the following requirements are met:

Signed and dated application for admission

All applications must be submitted electronically through CAS. Applications may be signed electronically or a signature submitted with the certification letter via postal mail.

Personal Statement

A personal statement must be included as part of the online application process. The personal statement is an open-ended essay written on any topic the applicant chooses and should be two to three pages in length and well written. Ideally, the personal statement will provide insight to the admissions committee about the applicant's personality and what they will bring to Brandeis School of Law.

Two to four letters of recommendations

A minimum of two letters of recommendation must be included as part of the online application process and sent directly to the CAS. One letter must be from a faculty member. The second letter can either be from a faculty member or from an individual who has knowledge of the applicant's personal qualifications and ability to succeed in a competitive professional program. Applications are not considered ready for review, and will be held, until at least two letters of recommendation are received. No recommendations will be considered after an admission decision has been made on an application. We will accept up to four letters of recommendation.

Official transcripts

Transcripts from all prior undergraduate and graduate institutions that the applicant has attended must be submitted directly to CAS as part of the online application process.

Current résumé

A current résumé outlining the applicant's work and educational experience.

LSAT

The LSAT (Law School Admissions Test) is a half-day, standardized test administered four times each year at designated training centers.

Optional diversity statement

Brandeis School of Law gives serious consideration to the ways in which each applicant might contribute to a diverse educational environment. You may wish to write a diversity statement to distinguish yourself from other applicants.Topics of focus could include, but are not limited to: leadership qualities, community service, socioeconomic status, work history, advanced study, unique talents or experiences, unusual hardships, race, color, age, sex, national origin, religion, sexual orientation and disability status.

To assure that access to legal education and to the legal profession are visibly open to all qualified members of our heterogeneous society, the law school considers as one factor an applicant’s race, color, sex, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability status and socioeconomic status in order to help open the ranks of the legal profession to those who have been historically underrepresented in the profession.

Applications are not considered complete and ready for review until the law school receives the law school report from the CAS. Your report from the CAS will not be sent until all items are received by LSAC.

Brandeis School of Law welcomes both transfer and visiting students to our law school.

Requirements for Transfer Applicants

Register with the Credential Assembly Service of the LSAC and meet the entrance requirements of the Law School.

Complete the first year of study at previous law school and eligible to enter Brandeis School of Law's second-year class.

Submit two letters of recommendation (maximum of four allowed) directly to LSAC.

Request two official transcripts from current law school be sent directly to Brandeis School of Law and sent directly to LSAC.

In addition to our standard application checklist, transfer students must also send a letter of good standing and class rank directly to Brandeis School of Law from an official of the applicant's current law school. Note: transfer applicants should be in the top one-fourth of the class at their previous law school.

Upon Acceptance

Upon acceptance, transfers are required to reserve his or her place in the entering class with a tuition seat deposit, which is applied toward tuition for the first semester.

Transfer Credits Acceptance Policy

Brandeis School of Law accepts transfer credits from other ABA-Approved Schools in certain circumstances and limits the number of transfer credit hours a student may receive. A student who transfers to Brandeis after completing at least the first year of law school elsewhere may generally earn up to 30 credits for first-year courses. Under special circumstances, a student may earn up to 45 transfer credits. Students must be admitted as a transfer student by Brandeis before this calculation is made. Transfer students must complete at least 30 of their last 36 credit hours at Brandeis, and all students must complete at least half of their 90 credit hours at the University of Louisville.

Transfer credits will be awarded only for courses in which the student has a C grade or better. No duplication of credit will be awarded, that is, students may not receive credit for a course they have already taken. The Assistant Dean for Student Life will determine when a course is duplicative.

A student who has been dismissed from another law school for academic failure or for misconduct will not be considered for transfer.

No credit will be given toward a J.D. degree for coursework completed prior to matriculating to law school.

Requirements for Visiting Applicants

On a limited basis, students from other ABA-accredited law schools also may attend classes at the law school as visiting students, for a designated period of time. Visiting students must be in good standing, and their home institutions must agree to accept credits earned at the University of Louisville. Upon acceptance, visiting students are asked to submit a signed letter of intent.

In addition to our standard application checklist, visiting students must also send a letter from their home institution stating that the credits received at Brandeis will transfer back to their home institution.

Brandeis School of Law welcomes the interest of international students. To study in the United States requires substantial preparation and careful advance planning. The School of Law offers a 90-credit hour Juris Doctor Degree with a full-time and part-time program. The University of Louisville does not offer a Masters in Law (LL.M) Degree. It is recommended that international applicants apply by the March 15 deadline.

International students are billed at the non-resident tuition rate. Foreign students are eligible for the same institutional scholarship opportunities as U.S. citizens or resident aliens. However, all federally funded student aid programs are available only for U.S. citizens or eligible resident aliens.

In addition to our standard application checklist, visiting students must also send a transcript from their home institution to Brandeis School of Law. as well as a letter of good standing and class rank.

You were directly enrolled at a foreign institution(s) and the total amount of work you completed at all foreign institutions combined is the equivalent of more than one year of undergraduate study in the U.S., its territories, or Canada.

To use JD CAS, you must register for the Credential Assembly Service and you must request that the appropriate documents (e.g., mark sheets, degree certifications, transcripts) be sent directly to LSAC from the institution(s) you attended.

When you have met all requirements of the International Student Center, the University will issue the Certificate of Eligibility (Form I-20 for Student or IAP-66 for Exchange Visitor). This certificate is necessary to obtain a U.S. visa. The certificate, along with a valid passport and proof of sufficient financial support for your studies, should be taken to the U.S. Consulate or Embassy in your home country. We also recommend that you contact the local U.S. Consulate or Embassy for advice and reference materials about U.S. colleges and universities.

TOEFL Requirement

All classes are conducted in English and all exams are administered in English. All applicants for whom English is a second language must submit a TOEFL score.

Admission Decisions

Admission decisions are made on a rolling basis. The Admission Committee begins its evaluation of files in December of the year before admission, with the majority of decisions made in the period from mid-January to mid-April. Every applicant will receive notification as to the status of the application (accept, hold, deny) shortly after the initial review by the Admission Committee.

Those applicants who are placed on hold by the Committee will be reconsidered in the spring after more information is available on the entire group of applicants. The most promising applicants remaining on hold after admission decisions are completed in the spring will be placed on a wait list and kept informed of their status over the summer months.

Upon Acceptance

Admitted students will be required to reserve his or her place in the entering class with a tuition seat deposit, which is applied toward tuition for the first semester. The deadline will be stated on the letter of admission. Failure to meet the deadline will result in admission revocation. The seat deposit (for the fall term) is refundable if a written request for refund is received by June 1. Admitted students are also required to submit two official degree showing transcripts and passport-sized photographs.

Please do not make arrangements for travel to the U.S. until you receive a written offer of admission from the University of Louisville and approval of your I-20 or IAP-66 form.